


I'll Be Loving You

by ThatOneLarryMoment



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha Niall, Alpha Nick Grimshaw, Alpha Zayn, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - High School, Bottom Louis, Brief Louis Tomlinson/Original Character, Fluff, Full Shift Werewolves, M/M, Omega Liam, Omega Louis, Protective Harry, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:39:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27770134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOneLarryMoment/pseuds/ThatOneLarryMoment
Summary: Louis' family relocates to a new pack house where he has to learn to live under a new Alpha. He instantly knows there's something about Harry, something that demands his attention. But he knows from experience that it's not a good idea to get involved with the pack's Alpha.He just needs to figure out how exactly he's planning not to fall in love with the beautiful boy with the green eyes.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 49
Kudos: 304





	1. Adjusting

**Author's Note:**

> Hey lovelies! This is a full-shift werewolf fic because there aren't NEARLY enough of those. I'll try to post semi-regularly, but I can't make any promises because my teachers are kind of insane. I appreciate any thoughts/comments you guys may have, and I'll really try not to be touchy about any criticism. Thanks for everything :)
> 
> Oh please don't translate/copy, thank youuu
> 
> (Work of *fiction*)

Louis was twisting his hands together, small beads of sweat sliding down the back of his neck. The car had just slowed to a stop in front of the pack house hidden in between the trees. It was a massive structure of stone with long vines creeping up the sides of the building. Series of flower beds wrapped around the edges of the house and a looming willow tree swayed to the side. An old tire swing was hung from one of the highest branches and a few bikes were propped up against the trunk. It looked like it could have popped out of a fairly tale once, even if the willow tree made it seem a tad more haunted than enchanted.

Louis had been dreading relocating to a different pack house, but his sister Lottie had managed to convince him that it wouldn't be so bad. After all, they were part of the same pack, so they had _something_ in common by default. After he'd shoved the last of his bags in the trunk, he'd been excited about the move. It had almost managed to subside the feeling of guilt in his gut for being the reason they had to relocate in the first place.

But now that he was actually standing in front of the house, all he wanted to do was turn around and run.

"Alright, what do you think?" Jay seemed completely enamored by the house, and she clapped her hands together before turning back to face the kids.

Fizzy pulled her headphones off her ears and snuck a glance over her shoulder. "It's definitely... different."

Lottie frowned and gave her a playful nudge. "I think it's right out of a children's book. Dais and Phee certainly seem to love it."

The twins had their faces pressed against the window, both of them already arguing about who would sit on the tire swing first. 

Jay grinned and turned to Louis. "And you honey?"

He forced a smile and tried to quell the nerves at the pit of his stomach. This was all because of him, and he owed it to her to at the very least _try_ to feel at home. "Yeah, it's great."

He knew he'd done the right thing when he saw her beam. "Perfect! Let's go get settled. I have yet to meet their Alpha."

Louis' stomach flipped at the idea of meeting all of those strangers. Most people rarely left the pack house they grew up in, so everyone would already have their established friendships and weird social hierarchies. They'd only made an exception for Louis' family because of their special circumstances. Someone inside was probably flipping out about having to share their room with a total stranger.

They all stepped out of the car and went to pull the bags out of the van. Lottie, being the only alpha, took the heaviest of them all. Louis, an omega, and Fizzy, a beta, tried to help with the rest, leaving only the lightest ones for Jay and the twins.

When they stepped through the door, the first thought to hit them was one word: chaos.

There were pups wrestling on the floor-- clearly still too young to have learned how to shift out of their wolf forms --, groups of teenagers sprawled out on the various couches dotting the room, and adults leaning against the wall with glasses of wine in their hands. For a few seconds, everything was incredibly loud. Louis was overwhelmed by the little snippets of conversations he couldn't block out and the playful growls of the little pups rolling around at his feet. 

But then all of it stopped. Everyone seemed to collectively notice the family standing at the entrance, the front door still wide open. Louis tried to fight the urge to hide, settling for tightening his grip on the bags. He felt Daisy inch behind him so she was mostly hidden behind his legs. Phoebe soon followed and hid her face in the fabric of his jeans.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed until someone emerged from the hall. She had a kind face and seemed welcoming enough, so Louis felt a part of him relax a little bit. Still, he was wondering why everyone seemed to make space for her. He could tell she was an Omega, but everyone still seemed to treat her with the respect of their pack's Alpha.

"Hello, you must be the new family! Welcome! I'm Anne, the Alpha's mother."

_Oh, that explains it_ , he thought.

Jay gently closed the door behind her and moved forward to shake Anne's hand. "Lovely to meet you. I'm Johannah and these are my children. Thank you so much for everything."

Anne waved her off and smiled kindly at everybody. "It's no problem. We hope you'll get settled nicely. I'm sorry you have yet to meet our Alpha-- he's out dealing with some negotiations. But there will be time for introductions over dinner, which should be ready in an hour or so. He'll be home by then and we can all get to know each other a little better."

Louis gave her a small smile in thanks, ignoring how badly he wanted to die under all of the attention.

Anne then turned around and beckoned two people closer. One was a beta with features similar to Anne's-- maybe a daughter? She looked energetic and quite intimidating, despite her sweet attempt at a comforting smile. The other was an obviously unrelated omega with soft brown hair and hazel-brown eyes. His demeanor was completely opposite to the girl's. He was fidgeting with his hands and avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"This is Gemma, my daughter, and Liam, one of our Omegas. Gemma has the biggest room in the house, so she'll be sharing it with all of your girls. Liam will be splitting his with Louis. Johannah, you'll be staying with me. We can all go up and get acquainted with the space. Is that alright with everybody?"

Louis looked at Liam, who offered him a nervous smile. Louis returned it eagerly, beyond relieved that he didn't get stuck with a dick for a roommate.

They all hauled their bags up the stairs and tried their best to ignore the curious looks coming from every direction. At the top of the winding staircase, Louis and Liam separated from everyone else. He gave Daisy, who was still clinging onto him, one last reassuring squeeze of the hand before following the other omega down the hall. The place was a labyrinth, so he wasn't sure how he was planning on finding the room again. There were windows at every turn and the house was mostly lit from daylight and chandeliers. The walls were stone, but colorful paintings were placed strategically to keep the place from feeling gloomy. There were even some artworks hung along the walls that were clearly done by three-year-old pups and Louis found the framed smudges of paint oddly endearing.

After three more turns, Liam stopped at a white door. He pushed it open to reveal a small bedroom with two twin-sized beds on opposite sides. One the left, there were a few charcoal sketches and pastel paintings taped to the walls. Two oil paintings, one of the forest and one of the pack house, were framed above the bed. The level of detail was impressive, and Louis found his eyes glued to the different color combinations.

"They're the only paintings I've managed to finish," Liam offered. He was blushing, clearly self-conscious as a result of Louis' staring.

Instead of looking away, Louis took a step closer. "Oh sorry. They're absolutely amazing though, I wish I could do something like that. Look at those shadows... incredible."

Liam beamed and plopped down onto the bed. The compliment seemed to ease whatever concerns he'd had about Louis. "I finished the house one about a year ago, and the other's from this past summer. Anne was really proud, so she let me get the frames for them. You can decorate your side of the room too, if you want."

Louis turned around to see the space on his side. There was a nightstand next to his bed, a wardrobe beside it, and a mirror propped against the wall. It looked a bit like a dorm room, so he didn't really mind. If anything, he was grateful he had a place to put all of his things.

"So I assume you've enrolled at Oakwood High?"

Louis grimaced at the reminder. "Yeah, we had to switch out because the distance from my old school to here was too much."

Liam nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, we all go there. There are different kids from different packs, but our Alpha and two of his friends-- also alphas --are kind of the kings of the school. Everyone absolutely adores them, which means no one ever tries to mess with the rest of us."

"Who is your Alpha by the way? They didn't really tell us anything, other than the fact that he took on the role after his father died. Oh, and that his name is Harry Styles."

"Oh, he's great. He's strict and all because he has to be, but he's one of the nicest alphas I've ever met. Respectful, caring, and also gorgeous. Not as much as one of his friends, but still pretty good."

Louis smirked at the dreamy look on Liam's face. "And who is this friend who transcends the boundaries of beauty?"

A scarlet blush spread all over the omega's face. "His name's Zayn. He's just... perfect." He'd clearly spent a lot of time thinking about the alpha, judging by the faraway look in his eyes.

Louis couldn't remember the last time he'd felt that way about anybody. He'd had two ex-boyfriends, the first of which hadn't worked out for precisely that reason: there was just nothing there. He'd never felt the nervous butterflies he read about or the warm, cozy feeling people sung about. And until he did, he wasn't settling for anything less than that. The second was... no, he wouldn't dwell on past mistakes.

"Why don't you go out with him?"

Liam's eyes went as wide as saucers. " _Zayn????_ Nonono. He, Niall, and Harry are sort of untouchable. If they don't talk to you first, you don't move a muscle. Much less ask them out," Liam huffed out in a single breath. He seemed way too shocked to be healthy by the mere proposition of asking Zayn out.

Louis rolled his eyes at the obvious hierarchy he'd stumbled into. Judging by his newbie status, he was probably the lowest of the low. And these three alphas were apparently the highest of the high. "How's he supposed to talk to you if you don't try to get to know him? Plus, even alphas have insecurities. I wouldn't want to talk to someone who's never shown any interest in me either."

Liam opened his mouth to retort, but he closed it to mull over his new roommate's words. Louis smiled, secretly hoping the omega would take his advice to heart. He was clearly head over heels in love with this alpha, or at the very least seriously crushing on him, and it would be sad if he never asked him because of some unspoken rule. 

They spent the next hour in a comfortable silence. Half of Louis' clothes had already been randomly shoved in the wardrobe's compartments when someone knocked on the door. Liam sat up from where he'd been sketching and turned the knob with graphite-stained hands. Louis turned just in time to see a red blush splatter itself onto the boy's cheeks. He peeked over his roommate's shoulder to see the boy he already knew would be Zayn.

Louis raised his eyebrows. Liam clearly had good taste: the object of his infatuation was unequivocally gorgeous. He had milk-chocolate eyes and a short beard just barely past stubble. He had a few piercings dotting his ears and was clad in a leather jacket. He kind of screamed dominance, even if his stance was friendly.

He nodded at Louis. "Hey, I'm Zayn. Dinner's ready." He didn't say anything else before turning to go back to the hall, leaving one impressed boy and another blushing mess.

Louis smirked at Liam. "That was real smooth."

"Ugh, shut up."

He laughed and patted the boy on the back as they both waited for the abnormally strong blush to die down. Once his face was back to regular color, the two of them made their way downstairs. They were immediately greeted by the smell of steak, and Louis eagerly followed his roommate to a large dining room.

There was a long wooden table spanning the size of the room and cushioned chairs tucked in at equal intervals. He quickly spotted the Lottie, who was engrossed in conversation with Gemma. They were both laughing and he smiled, glad his sister had already made a friend. Daisy and Phoebe were both plastered to Fizzy, who was talking to one of the girls her age. Louis wasn't ecstatic about the fact that the twins hadn't branched out yet, but it'd only been an hour. They just needed a chance to get to know everybody else.

When they saw him, each twin slid off their spot on Fizzy's lap, whispered something in her ear, and then ran over to jump into his arms. He received both girls with a grin, carrying them each in one arm. Liam lightly nudged him and motioned to four empty spots at the corner of the table, so Louis carried them over. The twins each sat on either side of him, scooting their chairs closer to his. Liam sat in front of him, so they could still talk without having to speak across the girls. 

Daisy was looping her arm around her brother's when the aroma hit him. It was the sweetest, freshest thing he'd ever smelled and he quickly looked around to see who the smell belonged to. It was a warm mix of vanilla and pine, with just a hint of salt. It smelled like a run you took early in the morning just as much as it smelled like a candle you lit before sitting down to read a book. Louis had to make a conscious effort not to blatantly sniff the air before he realized whose smell it was.

At the front of the room, three boys were taking their seats. Two of them were laughing their asses off-- one of which he recognized as Zayn --but the third, the one he knew was the most beautiful of them all, looked just as lost as Louis. He took a seat at the head of the table as his eyes were roaming across the room. He had soft curls that barely brushed the tips of his shoulders and his eyes were a stunning green. The black sheer shirt he was wearing showed off all of the artwork across his skin, and there was an array rings dotting his hands. _God, his hands_.

Louis caught himself staring a split second before the boy's eyes could find his. He was mildly relieved he had avoided any awkward eye contact, but it was even worse when he felt the boy's stare fixated on him. He figured it was just because he was new, so he tried to shrug it off. Uncomfortably conscious of the fact he was being watched, he turned to the twins and asked them about their room. They were ranting about where they were planning on putting all of their stuffed animals, giving Louis a sufficient distraction from the achingly beautiful boy across the room.

They spent a few more minutes talking before the room was completely full. When the boy with the green eyes stood up, having relented his staring a minute or so before, everyone else followed suit. Louis furrowed his brow in confusion before the realization hit him.

Oh. _Oh_.

He was the Alpha.

Harry cleared his throat and looked over to Jay, who was standing beside Anne. "I'm Harry Styles, and you must be Johannah Deakin. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, his voice deep and slow, before reaching over to shake her hand. She gave an answering smile and returned the gesture. "I hope you and your family are settling in well. You've already met some of our pack members, but we'll each go around introducing ourselves."

He looked over to Zayn, who understood the silent cue. "I'm Zayn Malik, and I'm an 18-year-old alpha."

An enthusiastic boy next to him practically pounced. "I'm Niall Horan, another 18-year-old alpha." 

They went around the table, passing a Lily, Maria, Nicolas, Alisha, and a few other names Louis didn't remember. Liam had shyly announced he was a 17-year-old omega, his eyes trained on the table the whole time. When they made their way to Phoebe, she had turned beet red and impulsively shoved her face in Louis' cream-colored sweater. There was a beat of awkward silence until Louis cleared his throat.

"This is my six-year-old sister Phoebe. I'm Louis Tomlinson, a seventeen-year-old omega." He turned to Daisy, but the little girl harshly tugged on his sleeve. He didn't need to be told twice. "Oh, and this is my other sister Daisy. She's also six years old."

He knew everybody could tell how nervous he was, given that all three of them probably reeked of it, but he maintained his composure. Harry was looking at him intently, but he avoided meeting the Alpha's eyes. Now that Louis knew who he was, he was planning on avoiding him at all costs. He waited as they passed a few more people before the rest of his sisters introduced themselves, finally closing the circle when Anne re-introduced herself.

"Perfect. Now, yes, you can all eat," Harry assured them.

Everyone eagerly dug in to their meals, savoring the slabs of steak. Louis spent ten minutes cutting the food into smaller pieces for both of his sisters, so his was already cold by the time he got around to his own. But he was too grateful for the rather luxurious meal to complain.

Once everyone was done, they all went to leave their plates at the sink. Apparently there was a chore schedule so there was always an alternating group of people in charge of the cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. Louis felt bad simply leaving his plate there for someone to wash without yet being a part of the chore schedule, but Liam shrugged it off when he brought it up.

The twins eventually detached themselves from his side to go reattach themselves to Fizzy, so he was free to go upstairs with Liam. From the corner of his eye, he could see Harry begin to approach him. As a weird fight or flight response, he picked up his speed and trotted up the stairs. When he was in his room and sure that there were no uncomfortable conversations in the near future, he sifted through his clothes to find a suitable shirt to sleep in. He stripped down to his boxes before pulling the soft blue T-shirt over his head. He knew it was still relatively early, but the anxiety of the day had tired him out. He said a quick goodnight to Liam before turning off the lamp on his nightstand and sinking into the covers.

Tomorrow was his first day in a completely new high school..but he could deal with that problem in his dreams. It would certainly be better than dreaming of a particular someone's green eyes.


	2. Kings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments/kudos! They mean the world to me <3

"Absolutely not." Louis stared at the uniform laid out on the bed, a grimace creeping up onto his face. The button-down and black tie were bad enough as it was, but the khakis were completely uncalled for.

Liam snorted. "I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice. And we all wear it, so it's really not that big of a deal."

Louis pouted, reluctantly grabbing the clothes. "Fine, I'll wear the horrid clothes. Where did you say the bathroom was?"

"You can just change here, I'm going down to get breakfast. I'll see you downstairs," Liam called over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him.

Louis' old school did not have a uniform. They didn't have stiff dress shirts that were probably too itchy or ties that could choke you if you just so happened to pull too tight. This whole ordeal was a complete mess, and Louis couldn't help wishing this had never happened. He just wanted to go back to Rose High, where his friends threw crumpled notes at each other across the room and knew exactly what kind of jokes to make at the right times. They were probably messing around in the music room now, all clad in jeans and comfortable T-shirts.

With a frustrated sigh, Louis pulled off his pajama shirt and started buttoning up the new shirt, which confirmed his fears. Not wanting to feel the constant threat of suffocation on top of the itchy long-sleeve, he loosened the tie's knot until it was practically hanging off his chest. He shrugged, figuring a small break in the dress code wouldn't kill him. He pulled on his trousers, which were just a little too tight for comfort. But he was most definitely _not_ about to ask someone for bigger pants, and it's not like they were impossible to move around in. If anything, they just hugged his thighs a little too much for his liking. But they fit well around his waist and knees, so he assumed the size was right.

He shoved his notebooks and a handful of pencils in his bag, slinging it around his shoulder before stopping at the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his air. He was never hungry in the mornings, so breakfast wasn't really on his list. He always had a snack in his bag just in case, but he rarely touched it before lunch.

After making sure his hair was properly pushed to the side, fixing a few wisps here and there, he trotted down the stairs. To his mild surprise, the house was just as chaotic as when he'd arrived the day before. There were handfuls of the parents who weren't out on patrol fixing their kids' collars or force-feeding them scrambled eggs, cliques of teenagers were scarfing down pancakes or bowls of fruit, and absolutely everybody was all invested in different conversations.

Louis made his way over to Liam, who was downing a glass of orange juice.

"Hey, how do we get to school? Don't tell me we're all supposed to go together." He could already imagine a group of dozens of children all marching to school like the members of some obscure cult.

Liam laughed and shook his head. "No, we've all got our own rides. I have my car so you can come with me if you want. I think Gemma's taking your sisters so it works out."

Louis grinned and nodded. "Perfect."

Liam cocked an eyebrow at him. "Don't you want to eat something first?"

He shook his head vehemently. "Not unless you want me to projectile vomit onto your windshield."

"Ack, got it."

Once Liam was done, they were quick to hop out into his car. It was a white BMW with pristine seats and a polished dashboard. It smelled like new car, and Louis was hesitant to put his hands anywhere lest he stain it with his fingerprints.

"Wow, you really love your car," he mumbled.

Liam nodded proudly as he turned on the engine and pulled out of the house's driveway. "I worked for ages to get enough money for it. My parents helped out and all but I was even able to sell some of my pastel drawings. Obviously they weren't worth that much, but it still felt nice, you know? Like I was one of the people that worked for it."

Louis nodded, trying to relate. He wasn't sure he really could, but he did agree that it sounded like a proud moment. "So where do you work?"

"The library, mostly. I also pick up a couple of shifts at this little restaurant downtown whenever possible."

Louis wondered if he was expected to get a job. He didn't really know the pack's dynamics yet, so he was a little unsure of what to expect. He didn't want to end up getting a lecture on how he wasn't contributing enough to the community or whatever.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask. Do we ever go out on patrols, or is that just the parents? Or what about training? Political stuff? No one's really said anything."

"Um, it varies? Like, only the Alpha handles negotiations and contracts, and he's the only one allowed to attend meetings with other pack leaders. But the pack family, so Anne and Gemma-- since they know how everything works even though they're not alphas --help out with the politics and legality of it all. They sort of split the paperwork and stuff. Harry's always really busy in conferences and such, so he doesn't always have time to send in our monthly charts. Then, the main alphas of the pack-- Niall, Harry, and Zayn --do the training. Every weekday we have to get up at 5 AM to go train in the forest-- not even parents are excused. The only ones that don't have to go are the pups that are still wolves, since they're too young, and whoever's on patrol. You came yesterday evening, so you didn't have to go this morning. But believe me, you're not getting out of it the rest of the week. As far as who goes on patrol, we have a rotating schedule. Only one of the main alphas goes at a time, so the other two can stay to train us in the morning, and they take turns every day. The rest of us go in groups that alternate per week."

_What the fuck?_

Louis was **not** loving the idea of getting up at the asscrack of dawn to go get tossed around by a couple of alphas. He knew he had many strengths, but fighting was by no means one of them. He had absolutely no stamina, he never went to the gym, and his feet were not made for running miles on end. He knew he would be in his wolf form, but that still didn't help matters. Training would just be another humiliating experience to tick off the box.

Before he had a chance to voice his grievances to Liam, they were pulling up in front of the school. Louis snuck a glance at the building and felts jitters bubble up in his stomach at the sight of all the students. The campus was huge, and there must have been a couple hundred kids in the courtyard alone. Liam must have smelled how nervous he was, because he gave him a little pat on the back.

"It'll be fine. And we probably have most classes together, so it won't be so bad."

Louis tried to take some solace in his words as he pulled himself out of the car. He clutched his bag tight against him and dragged himself up to the front. Liam told him he had to get to homeroom, but that the office would have his schedule. He tried to follow his instructions, mentally counting how many right and left turns he had to make before getting there.

To his great fortune, he finally located the spot where a middle-aged man was typing away behind a desk. He briefly glanced up to see Louis and smiled kindly. "Hello there. Are you one of our new students?"

"Hi, yeah. I'm Louis Tomlinson." 

The man typed a few more things on his computer before reaching over to grab a file. He pulled out a tardy pass and a schedule before circling a few things in red. "Here are your classes for the week. I know it can be a little confusing at first so I circled the ones you have today."

Louis sighed in relief. All the different names, numbers, and times looked a little overwhelming. "Thank you so much."

The man smiled once more before turning back to his computer. "Good luck!"

When Louis glanced down at his schedule, he realized most of his classes were with seniors. He had transferred in the middle of junior year, but apparently the classes he'd been taken were advanced enough that he now had to share them with the older kids. He knew it was a stupid thing to get worked up over, but he had to wipe the sweat off his palms anyway.

When he finally located his first class, he was already ten minutes late. He knew it would be excused because he'd had to go to the office first, but that didn't stop him from biting back a groan as he pushed the door open. He'd given himself a small pep talk on the way to help calm his nerves, but he still avoided any and all contact with anyone except the teacher as he walked in. He kept his head up and offered the lady an apologetic smile as he placed the tardy pass on her desk.

"You must be Louis Tomlinson!"

She was an oddly chipper lady, and she clapped her hands together before pulling him in for a tight hug. He was taken by surprise for a moment but loosely hugged her back. "Uh, yeah. Hi."

"Welcome to Oakwood High!" she exclaimed. "You can take a seat back there."

Louis turned around to see the seating arrangements. There were a few people he recognized from the pack house, but some were clearly from different packs. His breath got caught in his throat when he saw Harry at the front. He was unfairly stunning in the uniform, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows propped up on the desk. Niall and Zayn were sitting on either side of him, and it was immediately clear they were one of _those_ friend groups. The inseparable, friends-until-we-die ones.

And their middle alpha was staring so intently at Louis that he forced his eyes away. He made his way to the back of the class, all pairs of eyes on him. The only empty seat was between a tall brunette and a bubbly boy who aimed a wink at Louis.

Louis felt a light blush spread across his cheeks as he took the seat between them. Few people had yet to look away from him and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Am I embarrassing myself some way? Is there fucking toilet paper stuck to my shoe? Why is everybody staring at me?"

The sweet-looking boy next to him raised his eyebrows. He extended his hand, which Louis gladly took. "I'm Olly. And it's because you're-- for a lack of better words --pretty hot."

What was once a light blush was now a scarlet red. He resisted the urge to sink into his seat, choosing to pull out a notebook from his bag instead. 

"It's true," the girl next to him piped up. She gave him a reassuring smile as he tried to avoid accidentally making eye contact with anyone. "Even I don't look that good in the school pants. It's kind of unfair."

He huffed out a nervous laugh and returned the smile. "Thanks."

The teacher cleared her throat and everyone's heads snapped back to the board. Louis sighed in relief, suddenly ecstatic about sitting at the back of the class.

"I'm Jane. So I take it you're from Harry's pack?" she asked as the teacher toned on about limits.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

She gave him an unamused look. "Did you see the way he was looking at you? It's very rarely used when someone isn't practically claiming something. He's obviously your pack house's Alpha."

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "I mean, I guess, but I've only been part of his pack house for a day."

Olly's eyebrows shot up. " _A day?_ God, by the way he glared at me when I winked I was wondering if you were his omega."

Louis blinked in shock. "Um, _no_. Nonono. I've known him for a total of 24 hours. Actually less than that since I got here yesterday evening. I guess he's just protective or something."

Jane shrugged. "Probably, most alphas are," she said, shooting Olly a pointed look. He pouted but didn't say anything in response. She was very clearly a beta, but she probably had a friend who'd dated Olly or something of the like. "If he's a pack alpha it's even worse."

The teacher shot them a sharp look, only softening slightly when she looked at Louis-- the perks of being new. He spent the next hour zoning in and out of the lecture, taking as little notes as were necessary. He might have been more attentive if it hadn't been for the massive distraction at the front of the room. As hard as he tried not to, his eyes just gravitated to Harry. Looking away was far harder than it should have been.

The rest of the day went pretty much the same. Louis always had either Jane, Olly, or Liam in his classes, so he mostly stuck to them for the rest of the day. During lunch, he'd arrived to the massive cafeteria and had a brief moment of panic as all the established friend groups went to sit with each other. To his relief, Liam had saved him a seat with his friends. Louis picked up a tray of food and introduced himself to Liam's group. As he looked around, he raised his eyebrows.

Harry, Niall, Zayn, and a group of other alphas-- plus the girlfriends/boyfriends of a few, so a couple of omegas --had a table all to themselves. There were a few people who slowed down as they walked past it, as if trying to convince themselves they were popular enough to sit with them. In the end, all of them ended up turning away. Everyone looked at the group with such adoration that Louis had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Liam was right: they were the kings of the school. They were all frustratingly kind and polite, just loud enough to be endearing, and had the right humor to be perfectly charismatic. 

Louis desperately wanted to hate them.

Instead, he spent the rest of the day trying not to admire his pack's Alpha from a distance. Every time he caught himself staring, he pinched his arm. It didn't really work, but it was the best he could do. There was just something about him... 

_No_.

Louis knew he couldn't put his family through another move. He had learned from his mistakes, and he knew the pack Alpha was off limits. Harry could be the love of his life and he would never know. Whatever the personal price, he was not getting close to him. They obviously had to be acquaintances, since there was no way to avoid him completely, but anything else was completely out of the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so there's not too much Harry here but I promise the next chapter includes him much much more. And it's training!! ;)
> 
> Also I had written chapter 3 and accidentally DELETED it so I have to rewrite the whole thing. Fun times.


	3. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I've been kind of swamped with chem quizzes and an upcoming midterm. Buuuut I finally got around to writing, and I'm so happy because I finally got to include some Harry/Louis interaction. The whole I-stare-at-you-and-then-look-away-thing was kind of killing me slowly.  
> It's nothing big yet but I hope it helps out with the fluff deprivation!
> 
> Oh and I forgot to say that I hope those of you who celebrate it all had a lovely Thanksgiving :)

Waking up at five in the goddamn morning was **not** Louis' idea of fun.

He groaned loud enough for the rest of the floor to hear, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care. There was a piercing alarm ringing that would not shut up, and he barked at Liam to turn it off. He'd forgotten to set his own alarm, so he should probably have been thankful, but that particular sentiment was reserved for a different time of day. The asscrack of dawn knew of no such kindnesses.

Liam obliged, albeit with an exaggerated eye-roll. He was long used to the routine, so it wasn't difficult to lift himself off the bed and bounce over to the closet. Louis, on the other hand, was having issues.

He was still tangled up in the covers, but he miscalculated the distance when he tried to roll over. He yelped like a startled puppy as he tumbled over onto the stone floor. The blankets fortunately broke his fall, but his pride hadn't quite managed to save itself. 

Liam was doubled over in laughter. "Ah, shut it Lima Bean," Louis muttered, flipping him off from his spot on the floor.

Of course, that only made Liam laugh harder.

Louis shoved all of the blankets back onto the bed and dramatically dragged his feet over to the closet. He buried his head in a stack of shirts and whined. "Do I absolutely _have_ to go? Is there no way I can just stay here while the rest of you go out and toss each other around like rag dolls? I've never even been to a training session anyway, so it's not like you'll be missing me."

Liam, who was breathing at even intervals again, shook his head. "No, you don't want that. _Trust me_. If you stay here, Harry will personally come up here and pull you out of bed-- literally. You end up having to go to training anyway, but he's ten times harder on you. It's really not a good idea."

The part of Louis he was desperately trying to suppress thought maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing to wake up to, but it probably wouldn't make a good impression. He would do anything to avoid Jay's disappointed looks and Lottie's little frowns. Getting up early really wasn't _that_ much to ask for... well, for today. Doing it on a daily basis was a whole other problem, but it was one that could be procrastinated.

"Fine," he conceded, dragging out the monosyllabic word. "How does this even work anyway? Do we shift here? Or do we change and then shift over there? I really don't feel like ripping my clothes."

"Just put on something comfortable and bring a blanket. Each family has their own personal chest-- an alpha should be bringing yours --where we keep our clothes. So we go the forest, wrap ourselves in the blankets, undress, put the clothes in the chest, shift, and then leave the blankets there. Then we go train and shift back when we come back. The blanket will cover you up and keep you from getting cold while you get your clothes out to change. You need to bring one now because you've never gone, but the rest of keep those in the chest all the time."

"That was way too complicated for this time of morning. Basically I can wear my sweatpants and have to bring a blanket."

Liam snorted. "Yeah, that's the general gist. Now I'm going to go change in the bathroom so you can change here." Liam picked up a bundle of clothes and closed the door behind him.

Louis rested his head against the dresser, closing his eyes for two glorious seconds. He would prefer curling up into a ball and falling asleep on the frigid stone floor over voluntarily humiliating himself in front of Harry-- and the rest of the pack. Yeah, the pack.

He pulled a soft blue sweater over his chest and stepped into some sweatpants. The sweater was a bit oversized, but he figured it wasn't an issue. It was cute and comfy, even if it didn't really help with the sleepiness. 

He grabbed a random blanket, pulled a beanie over his bedhead, made a quick stop at a bathroom to get rid of his morning breath, and went downstairs to join the rest of the pack. He was immediately appalled by the restless energy. He knew he shouldn't have been by then-- things were rarely quiet --but he figured the ungodly hour would have had _some_ effect on their energy levels. And true, it was a little noticeable, but only in the younger kids. Everyone else seemed accustomed to the schedule, laughing and talking like it could've been five in the afternoon. The noise gave him a faint headache and he had to work to keep the scowl off his face.

It wasn't long before he spotted the twins. Phoebe and Daisy both looked ready to burst into tears, and they ran over to him the second their eyes landed on his blue sweater. Daisy reached him first, launching herself into his arms. "I'm tired," she whined. Her voice wobbled like she was trying not to cry, probably because none of the other kids were doing so, but he knew she was in no way used to waking up so early.

He rubbed her back in sympathy and moved to hoist her up with one arm when Phoebe wrapped her arms around his left leg. 

"Me too," she cried. She buried her face in the fabric of his sweatpants and rested her head against his leg.

"I know loves, but it's only for a little bit. Once we shift into our wolf forms, you won't feel it as much-- it's just instinct. We just have to wait a little bit and then you won't be so tired, okay?" He wanted nothing more than to let them fall asleep on him, but he doubted Harry would be too pleased. Reluctantly, he gently set Daisy down and nudged Phoebe so she was standing up. "Just a few more minutes."

"Okay," they agreed with a little whine. He ran a hand over their hair and hoped these people could move things along.

Luckily, it was only a few more minutes before Anne cleared her throat over the noise. Everyone immediately fell into silence, and she smiled in thanks.

"Alright, everyone should be here by now. Just say 'here' when I call your name," she explained-- probably for the benefit of Louis' family. He tried not to feel annoyed at the fact that they actually took attendance for these things. At least he could use it as an opportunity to get more used to matching names to faces.

When they reached his name, he voiced out a hoarse "here." He hadn't realized just how half-asleep he sounded, so he cleared his throat and reached up to rub the sleep out of his eyes with sweater paws. He only paused when he heard Phoebe giggle. When he shot her a questioning look, she smiled a big toothy grin.

"You look like a kitty."

He gaped at her in mock offense and ruffled her hair. "I'm going to choose to take that as a compliment."

"Mhm," she hummed in response.

He looked up from the little girl to see that a pair of eyes was watching him from across the room. Green, lovely eyes to be exact. And _that smile_. The one that was apparently directed at him.

Louis blinked in shock as he realized Harry was looking at him. There was a small smile playing at the Alpha's lips and he just looked so incredibly... fond. So fond in fact that he looked ready to walk over to the omega. There was a brief moment of eye contact and Louis found himself sinking into a daydream of soft curls, sharp jawlines, silver rings, and kind eyes.

With a cough, Louis quickly shifted his gaze away from the alpha. He was a master of pretending the last few minutes never happened, and he did just that. He turned to a beta beside him and struck up a conversation about what training was like, trying his hardest to actually pay attention to what the girl was saying. It's not like the only thing he could smell was salty pine and vanilla, or like his body was practically begging him to go rest his head on Harry's chest. Nono, he was perfectly fine.

Once Anne got through the list of names, she motioned to Harry to take over. He stepped forward and gestured towards a back door. "Alright, follow me."

Louis took his sisters' hands in his and led them along with the crowd. Everyone seemed to be following a vaguely outlined dirt path, so he kept to it too. It was still dark out and there was chilly wind working its way through the threads keeping his sweater together. He felt Daisy shiver and pulled her closer to his side.

After a few minutes, they arrived at a clearing fenced in by a circle of trees tall enough to be redwoods. It would've been eerie if it weren't for all the flower beds dotting the edge of the circle. It was wide enough for him to have trouble seeing the other end, but he figured it would have been concerning if everyone was free to roll around the whole forest by themselves.

Just as Liam had explained-- or from what Louis had managed to retain --there was a series of chests, each one positioned at a different tree. Everyone seemed to be grouping up into their separate families and lining up behind their respective chests, so Louis looked around before spotting Jay. She was beckoning him over to a white chest with gold engravings and a bronze latch, so he pulled the twins over to it.

"Wow, that's fancy," he mused. There was a group of gold autumn leaves on the top, all arranged in a carefully carved pile.

Lottie, who was-- as the head alpha --at the front of the group, snorted. "It's our family emblem, dumbass. Apparently word travels quickly so the Styles knew what it was without asking."

"I'm dead serious when I say I forgot we even had one of those."

She gave him an unamused look and started handing out the blankets she'd been carrying for the girls. "Alright loves, time to shift."

He knew the little ones still weren't accustomed to the physical shifting of their bones. It wasn't painful so much as uncomfortable, but it was barely noticeable for him anymore. The twins, on the other hand, still dreaded it.

After only a little bit of complaining, they all shifted together. Louis wrapped himself in the blanket, stripped down, handed his clothes to his mother, and felt himself sink down to his wolf form. For a second, all he could see was the cotton blue of his blanket. He nosed his way out of it and was ready to take another cue from what everyone else was doing, but... they were all staring at him. 

Louis looked at his family to see if they knew what was wrong, but they all looked just as confused as him. Communicating in your wolf form was like telepathy, although there were some restrictions. You had to have a close personal relationship to someone to speak to them individually, or else the rest of the pack heard you. The only one to whom that rule didn't apply was the pack Alpha-- he could talk to anyone he wanted privately, and vice versa.

"What's wrong?" Louis asked tentatively. Even if he didn't know everyone well yet, they were still part of the same pack... which meant they could hear him. But a good thirty seconds passed before anyone said anything. Some people were looking at him in awe, others in confusion.

Finally, when he felt like we was about to combust from feeling so self-conscious, Liam cleared his throat. "No, nothing. It's just... we've never seen a white wolf before."

Oh.

Louis looked around to realize Liam was right. He and his family had never thought twice about it, but now that he was actively looking for a white wolf, he realized he couldn't find a single one. Everyone else's coats were all varying shades of rust-orange, brown, caramel, black, maroon, or gold. There was one gray wolf, which was the closest anyone got to him, but even her fur didn't hold a torch to Louis'. He was blindingly white, pure enough to be mistaken for a fresh coat of snow.

He now understood why everyone was so surprised, but he really wished they would stop staring at him.

Harry must have sensed his growing discomfort because he let out a low growl. It was non-threatening, but everyone immediately snapped their heads to look at him. Louis felt a wave of relief wash over him, and he thought a low "thank you." He began to walk toward the Alpha, as everyone else was doing, but he nearly stopped in his tracks when he got a good look at him.

For one, Harry's wolf form was _huge_. Louis was an unusually small omega and he could easily pass in between Harry's legs without any issues. He was completely dwarfed by the Alpha-- even when compared to other pack alphas he'd seen, Harry had no competition.

Second, he had the blackest fur Louis had ever seen, and it set off his eyes perfectly. They were little emeralds glittering against what looked like unbelievably soft fur.

Unfortunately, that was when he realized that the only main alphas present were Harry and Zayn. That probably meant that Niall was on patrol, to which Louis mentally face-palmed. _Of course_ it would be just his shitty luck that the two alphas he and Liam could **not** be around were the only ones available. Perfect.

"Alright, we're going to start pairing you off," Zayn announced. He and Harry made their way to the Tomlinsons first, and Louis worked to ignore the knot in his stomach.

"Since today's Tuesday, we're just doing a general training-- no specific techniques. We pair you off with a wolf that will be able to counter your strengths and help fine-tune your weaknesses. Since today's your first day, we'll try pairing you with someone you're more familiar with. Charlotte, I think you should practice with your mother. Your alpha status will give you an advantage in strength and size, but her experience might match you for it. It would be best if Felicité practiced with the twins. Phoebe and Daisy need to be together because they're similar enough to need to find new strengths to play up against one another, but they need someone to guide them. And Felicité's an omega, so you shouldn't be a potential danger to them. And Louis, you should practice with either me or Harry.... I think you'd be better off with Harry. You're an especially small omega, so you need to practice with wolves much bigger than you. Harry's easily three times your size, so he'll be a perfect partner."

Oh no, that would not work.

Louis wanted to protest, but he couldn't come up with a reason better than _I think his scent is going to drive me insane_. That could not possibly be received well. So instead, he swallowed and nodded. He padded over to the gigantic alpha, trying his very best not to feel intimidated. He didn't know if he was expecting him to say something, or if he was waiting for anything in particular, but he found himself caught in an uncomfortable silence.

After a few seconds, Harry let his thoughts direct themselves towards Louis. "Um, hi."

Louis snapped his head up to see the alpha sitting awkwardly in front of him. Even through his mind, his voice was deep and slow. The syllables dragged out the perfect amount of time and he sounded oddly nervous, like he didn't know what to expect from Louis. 

"Hi," Louis tentatively tried out. He took a step forward, even though the rational part of him was screaming that he should run the opposite direction. Harry's ears perked up, so Louis knew that had been the right decision. "Uh, sorry. I don't really know how this works." He huffed out a nervous laugh, slightly embarrassed, but that seemed to immediately put Harry at ease.

"Oh, don't worry." He stood up and locked eyes with Louis. "Like this." The smirk in Harry's voice was his only warning before the alpha pounced on him. Louis squealed and, completely relying on instinct, dove under Harry's legs. He ran straight under him, fitting perfectly in the small distance between the alpha's body and the ground.

Harry landed right behind him and immediately rolled over in the wolf equivalent of laughter. Louis could smell the embarrassment radiating off of himself, and he rolled his eyes as Harry continued covering himself in spare blades of grass.

He scrunched up his nose and waited until Harry had composed himself. "What a gentlemen," he thought.

Harry gave him an apologetic look still laced with humor as he trotted over. "Alright, alright. Sorry. How about this? I'll chase you."

Louis knew that one of his steps was easily half of Harry's, and his endurance level was lacking somewhat, so he saw absolutely no hope in that proposition. "That will probably last a total of two seconds, but sure." Without warning, he darted across the clearing. Harry was quick to react, immediately chasing after Louis. It was oddly exhilarating acting like prey, the adrenaline present without the fear. He knew Harry wouldn't hurt him, even if he didn't actually know the alpha too well. There were just some things you could tell about a person.

He took a route in which he knew he wouldn't be a bother to anybody training, and he tried to think on his feet. There was no way he could outpace Harry, or even outsmart him. He could already tell Harry was herding him like prey, and he didn't have a choice but to follow. Still, there was his size. Although a terrible disadvantage at times, it also gave him extra speed and agility. Harry definitely beat him at brute force, but that wouldn't matter if he couldn't actually reach the omega.

So Louis did the least sensible thing he could think of. He made a sharp U-turn and started running straight towards Harry. The Alpha looked terribly confused for a moment, and he didn't react quickly enough to stop Louis from diving under his legs like he'd done the first time. Louis passed straight under him, picking his pace back up once the alpha was behind him. Unfortunately, he hadn't factored in Harry's ability to be _Harry_. The alpha turned and jumped so far that he managed to completely tackle Louis. He was tall enough to land on all fours, rather than on the omega, so he made sure not to hurt him. But once the danger was out of the way, he let his whole weight pin Louis in place.

Harry's paws were on Louis' front, and he just looked so damn _smug_. Louis did the first thing he could think of and caught Harry's tail between his hind legs, which were still free. The bigger wolf yelped and let go for a moment, allowing Louis just enough time to _climb over_ the alpha. Harry shook his fur, but Louis clung onto it like a lifeline. In response, Harry took off running around the clearing in an attempt to go fast enough for Louis to slip off. Obviously, that only succeeded in making Louis cling on tighter. He felt absolutely elated as Harry let out a playfully frustrated growl, a wave of laughter rocking against his ribs.

Harry then stopped for a moment, and suddenly he dropped down to the grass. Louis only had a few seconds to catch on before he was scrambling to move away and Harry started rolling around in the grass. The sun had started coming out and it looked like Harry was bathing himself around in the available rays of sunshine. Louis was trapped underneath him, spitting out mouthfuls of fur. He wasn't strong enough to push Harry off of him, but the alpha rolled them around a couple of times until he was pinning Louis underneath him.

In that moment, trapped under a gorgeous wolf, both of them panting, laughing so hard his stomach hurt, and mind dizzied in a sense of euphoria, Louis didn't think. He acted on instinct, forgetting everything reason had been protesting against since he'd first laid eyes on Harry. Suddenly, he was licking and nuzzling into Harry's neck. His little tongue and snout had barely passed over the other wolf's fur when Harry stilled above him. The sudden lack of movement was enough for Louis to realize what he was doing. 

Every second worth of time lost in the slow stop suddenly crashed forward all at once. Harry's moment of shock was just enough for Louis to pull himself out from underneath him, register that he had done something only _mated omegas_ were supposed to do, and then he was booking it in the opposite direction. He knew they'd gone so far no one would have been able to see what he'd done, but that didn't do anything to help the sudden mix of guilt, paranoia, and humiliation invading his gut. He ran as fast as he could, ignored Harry calling his name, tried not to think about how anyone who caught a whiff of his scent would be doused in his anxiety, wove through as many other wolves as he could so Harry couldn't follow, and ran straight to the pack house. He knew his clothes were still sitting in the chest he'd sped past, but that was another time's problem. 

He ran straight into the pack house, not caring that he was probably leaving prints, and willed his sucky memory to help him find his room. The odds seemed to be on his side for once and he got there just in time. He slammed the door closed with his body, shifted more quickly than he ever had before in his life, and reached over to lock it. 

It was a matter of seconds before Harry was knocking loudly on the other side, now in his human form too. He called Louis' name over and over again, but the boy had slipped under his covers. He had buried his face in his pillow and willed the last hour to disappear from his timeline.

_God, what did I do?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop, that turned out to be a little longer than anticipated. But I hope it was worth it!


	4. Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm backkkk!
> 
> Sorry, with the upcoming break my teachers apparently thought it would be great to shower us with last-minute quizzes. I'm terrified of checking my grades BUT I finally found the time to write.
> 
> Since I normally space them out a little more, to avoid any confusion I just wanted to clarify that this chapter takes place minutes after the last one ended.
> 
> Here we gooooo (does anyone else here Peter Pan when they read that like from the Disney thing? No, just me?)

Louis had been kicking himself for the past.. however-many minutes he's been shoving his face into his pillow. Well, to be exact, he had wallowed in self-pity for half the time and angrily spun into a self-deprecating rant for the rest. Harry was still outside, but he had stopped the incessant knocking when he accepted it wasn't going to accomplish anything. He disappeared for about thirty seconds, presumably to get clothes, but had returned shortly thereafter. Now he was simply on the other side of the door, probably waiting for the inevitable moment it would finally open.

Louis ran a hand through his hair in a mix of panic and frustration. He had promised, _promised_ that he wouldn't screw up this time. At the time it had seemed unnecessary-- how many times did one get involved with a pack Alpha? But now it was a glaring weight pressing hard against the soft spot in between his shoulder blades.

His mind whirled as he thought of ways to fix things. He had already made it too awkward, so he couldn't exactly go outside and ask Harry to just forget everything he had done... the nuzzling, the _licking_ , god. Louis' cheeks flared in embarrassment just thinking about it.

Oh wait. He didn't have to ask Harry's permission to act like it never happened. He could simply _pretend_.

If you act hard enough and tell a lie enough times, you start to believe it yourself. If Louis brushed off the last hour like it had been as insignificant as he wished it had been, as if he really didn't remember it at all, maybe Harry would do the same. No, he would _have_ to do the same, because there was no way Louis was going to survive otherwise.

He finally stepped out from under the covers and pulled on his uniform. It was still about an hour until he had to be at school, but he figured it wouldn't exactly help his case to open his door naked. He ran a comb through his hair, fixed the strays, and made sure his bag was packed for school.

It took Louis several moments to compose himself enough so that a) he could carry out the necessary performance, and b) Harry wouldn't be able to smell the guilt and humiliation fusing itself into the blood in his veins. He took a few deep breaths, focused his thoughts on boxes of Cocoa Puffs, steadied his hands against his pants, and pulled the door open. 

Harry had been lightly leaning against it, so he stumbled back a little before regaining his balance.

Louis waited until Harry was looking at him before working an easy smile onto his face. He knew it was believable by the confusion etched onto the Alpha's face. Soft green eyes drifted to the backpack straps Louis was holding onto, probably unaware that he was making a conscious effort not to desperately clutch them, and back to the blue eyes.

"I'm just going to stop by some coffee before going to school. I hope you don't mind that I'm kind of skipping the rest of training. I'm walking though, so I guess it sorta makes up for the whole building endurance thing?" Louis let out a laugh, surprising even himself by how casual he sounded.

Harry simply blinked at him, at a loss for words.

The seconds dragged forward, Louis' trepidation weaving itself more tightly into the air he was trying to force down his lungs. "Uh okay, well I'm going to go now."

He'd only gotten a few steps forward when Harry's hand closed around his wrist. It was a soft, hesitant touch, but he may as well have kissed Louis' wrist. The poor boy was trying not to hyperventilate from the sudden warmth under Harry's hands. "Louis...are we not going to talk about what happened?"

Louis froze for a split second, but he gathered himself quickly enough to smoothly turn around. He eased a lopsided grin onto his face and cocked his head to the side. He knew he could go for total denial, but that would be too obvious. No, he had to go the other route. "The thing from training? Sorry if that made you uncomfortable or anything. It wasn't a big deal, really," he said, pushing as much conviction as possible into the lie.

And for a minute-- sixty slow, hopeful seconds --he thought Harry was going to go along with it. He was almost out the door and then he could go about ignoring the insanely perfect Alpha for the rest of his life. They could forget this little bump in the road and that would be that. Eternal unhappiness couldn't possibly be so bad.

... But then Harry gently pulled him back into the room. "I think we both know that's not true."

Fuck.

The pent-up anxiety came crashing down on Louis and he struggled to do react. Different sides of him were arguing about what to do. Keeping up with the lie would just make him look like an idiot, but he couldn't very well start on a string of confessions now. He tipped his head back, pinched the bridge of his nose, and did anything he could to avoid Harry's eyes. "And what exactly is it that you want me to say?"

"Tell me why you won't look at me." Louis snapped his head back in surprise. Harry's voice wasn't angry or accusatory-- merely curious. He was looking intently at Louis, his eyes searching for answers. "Back there, I wasn't uncomfortable.. just surprised. Every time I so much as look at you, you look away. If I walk into a room, you excuse yourself. But, as far as I know, today's talk was the first conversation we've ever had." There was a tinge of hurt in his words, and Louis ignored the dull pang of guilt that hit his chest.

How exactly to go about explaining that his smell was intoxicating? That his hands were just the shape to fit into Louis' waist and he couldn't stop imagining them settled there? That his curls looked soft enough for Louis to wind his fingers around? That Louis just _knew_ that he could fall asleep on his chest every night?

And how to explain that it could never happen?

"I'm sorry," Louis began. He didn't even know what he was apologizing for at that point. One thing, everything? The omega in him wanted to tell Harry every single thing on his mind, but his rationale was desperately willing him to launch himself onto the stairs. Right now, he knew he couldn't listen to either. There had to be some way to weave in honesty while simultaneously keep his secrets. "It's just... you wouldn't understand. I don't hate you or anything though, sorry about that." It was with a grimace that he remembered why he they were having this conversation in the first place. "Though I guess I've made that pretty clear," he muttered as an afterthought.

Harry must have smelled the embarrassment creeping up his bones, because he immediately tugged Louis a little closer to him. He let his hand rest on the boy's hip, close enough to be comforting but tentative enough to maintain some distance. Calm, reassuring pheromones filled the room to let Louis know he didn't have anything to be embarrassed about. Against his will, a warm sense of calm eased the tension in his shoulders and quieted the pleading voices in his head.

_He's a pack alpha..._

_You have to go...._

_Leave!_

But goddamnit, he couldn't make his feet move. Not sure if he even wanted them to. He just stayed there and let himself lean into the touch. Harry must have taken that as a sign that this was okay, that he wasn't going to turn around and run again, because he took the opportunity to trace a finger over Louis' cheekbones. The alpha thumbed the soft skin at his cheek and let his eyes wander over Louis' features.

Louis' heart was hammering at his chest, the muscle nearly threatening to crack open the cage trapping it in. Sweat was collecting in his palms, and he was actively resisting the urge to wipe his hands on the fabric of his uniform. He couldn't help but blush under Harry's gaze, and he was just _standing there_. He didn't really know if the alpha was expecting him to move or not, but unfortunately his omega made the decision for him when Harry brushed a thumb over his lips.

To his utter horror, a soft whine slipped out from in between his lips.

His hands immediately flew up to cover his mouth as his eyes widened in pure mortification. _Is perpetual humiliation just a part of the job description?!_

He forced himself not to give in to his fight or flight instinct as a smug little smile pulled at the corner of Harry's lips. The alpha had taken the noise as an invitation to lean forward and press a soft little kiss on the tip of Louis' nose. "You're adorable, do you know that? Tiny and cute."

Louis scrunched up his nose and crossed his arms in indignation. "Who are you calling _tiny?_ I'll have you know I am a whole 5'9"." Harry threw his head back in laughter, looking so much like a little kid that Louis couldn't help but press his head against his chest. "Haryyy," he whined, surprised by how naturally the word felt sliding off his tongue. He was playfully pushing against the taller boy, his valiant little efforts in vain. " 'm not tiny. I could kick your ass if I so desired."

"I'm sure you could," the alpha replied with twinkling eyes. Louis moved to push himself off, but Harry's arms wound around his waist. He held him there for a moment, his chin resting on a mussed fringe. "Did you know I used to work in a bakery?"

Louis snorted. "Uh, no?" He didn't exactly look like the type to wear a cute apron and frost butter cookies.

Harry laughed lowly and nodded against his head. "It's true. I quite liked it to be honest, but it got a little bit difficult to manage my time eventually. The pack came first and all. But I do still make fantastic scones."

"Do you now? Well that's good because I can't cook for shit." The words slipped from his lips carelessly but stayed suspended in the air. They both froze as the domestic implications of that statement hit them. Could they see each other in a kitchen, Harry carrying a platter of scones while Louis impatiently waited for them to cool? It was ridiculous-- preposterous even --because they barely knew each other, but somehow they could see it perfectly. This could be a forever kind of thing, the type of story people wrote too many songs about. Even as young as they were, they could see a _future_. 

"And how do you feel about knock-knock jokes?" There was a little dimple Louis just couldn't resist, and he poked it with his fingers. It only made the dimple deeper, much to Louis' satisfaction.

Harry was looking down at him, a little light dancing behind his eyes. It twirled and did a pirouette and settled to be something so ridiculously fond. Louis scrunched up his nose and pulled a face too exaggerated to be mocking. "What kind of knock-knock jokes are we talking? It all depends."

"Hm, knock knock."

Louis hid a smile in Harry's neck. "Who's there?"

"Hula."

He could tell where this was going, but the alpha covered in tattoos, the one towering over him, the one with large rings dotting his knuckles, just looked so adorably eager. "Hula who?"

"P." 

The smiles that took over their faces couldn't have been more real as Louis shook his head.

Harry pulled back then, just enough to press a chaste kiss against Louis' forehead. The mood suddenly shifted from playful to serious as he let his hand rest on the nape of the omega's neck. "I know you said I won't understand, but maybe I can. You don't have to avoid me, I'm not going to hurt you."

Louis looked up at him through his eyelashes. How he wanted to believe that was true. If he could, he'd stand on his tiptoes right now and find out just what Harry tasted like. He'd tug at the chocolate coils that had been taunting him for ages. He'd crack a joke and just so he could poke at the dimples he knew would be there. But he'd made this mistake once before, and there are just some lessons you learn the hard way.

Louis pulled away, pushing aside the way he suddenly felt cold, naked. He searched for the right words, letting his eyes wander across the room like the chips in the stone will hold the answers. He eventually let his eyes settle on the necklace handing from the alpha's neck. Not his eyes, because he'd never get the words out that way. But a piece of him, the one right next to his heart. "And if I could afford to trust you, I would. I'd jump in head first and not look back. But I just.. can't." He remembered the backpack hanging off his back and tightened his hands around the straps. "I'll see you at school, yeah?"

He didn't wait to see Harry's reaction as he walked out the door. Harry didn't stop him this time, and he figured it had something to do with the wave of hurt he could feel hitting his back. But reassuring the alpha now would just be cruel, because he had to end up leaving anyway.

_It'll be okay_ , Louis told himself. _This is what the twins need. What Lottie needs and what's best for mum. This is okay._

A little voice in his head wanted to ask, _But what about me?_

He pushed it aside, scolding himself for being selfish. It was about him once and it ended up costing his family their home, their schools, and any sense of normalcy they'd had. He couldn't ever forgive himself if it happened again.

As if on autopilot, his hands pushed the front door and his feet carried him past the threshold. He looked up in surprise when he realized it was no longer dark outside. He made his way across dew-sprinkled grass and dappled sunshine, feeling an odd kind of resent at the weather for being so beautiful on such a shitty morning.

He didn't know how long the whole debacle with Harry lasted, but training was probably ending by now. Instead of going with his original plan of walking to school, he perched himself by Liam's car and waited for him to come out.

Just when he thought he'd have to start sprinting towards school, an unusually excited omega came out of the front door. He spotted Louis and bounded over, a wide grin fixed on his face. "LOU. Guess what??"

"Uh, what? You look like you slept with a hanger in your mouth."

Liam rolled his eyes, but he couldn't quite pull off looking annoyed. "So you know how you told me to approach Zayn? I DID."

Louis perked up and tried to absorb some of the excitement. "How did it go??"

"He was helping me out during training because apparently my technique was off or whatever, but we weren't really looking at each other or anything. So I worked up the courage to say that _we should talk sometime_." The ecstatic omega is shaking Louis by the shoulders as an overwhelmed laughter bubbled up from his throat.

"Wow, that's..." Louis trailed off. What exactly was it? "Uh, progress?"

Liam smacked him across the shoulder and climbed into the car. "It's freaking monumental is what it is."

Louis suppressed a snort at the fact that the boy refused to swear. "Well then I'm proud of you."

The boy preened and let out a happy sigh. "Baby steps, but we'll get there."

Louis tried not to think about how that wouldn't happen for him. It was nice to see Liam looking so deliriously happy. "Yeah," he said, and the smile came to his face easily. "Yeah, you will."

They continued the car drive talking about Zayn and just how perfect he was. It seemed that once you got Liam started, there was an endless list of compliments and fun facts he had stored about the alpha. His smile didn't waver a single time, and it would've been sickeningly sweet to watch if Louis didn't feel like his heart had sunk to his toes. Still, Louis loved seeing him happy, so he kindly sat and listened.

When they pulled up at school, Louis found himself dreading his first class. He wouldn't be able to use Liam as a shield until later in the day, and while Jane and Olly could sort of protect him, Harry would be there. He'd still be sitting there-- probably looking like a god --, smiling and laughing, scrunching up his nose, covering his smirks with the back of his hands, and so painfully untouchable.

But it turned out Louis was worrying about the wrong thing.

He smelled it first. A distinct shade of bitter, like something prickling his nose. His bunched up his shirt under his nostrils and looked around wildly. Liam gave him a curious look, but he couldn't possibly understand. Louis prayed he was just going insane, that he'd given in to the memories and he was putting color to his imagination. 

Yet. He knew that smell anywhere. Like spilled ink and cold mornings and rusted promises.

His eyes confirmed his fears before he could put words to them. Standing against the gate, keys dangling in between his fingers, sunglasses pushed up into his hair, was Nick. Their eyes met, and there was a cold, calculated look waiting for him. 

Louis froze in place, suddenly torn back to a state of helplessness. The floor beneath him might as well have been a gaping hole by the way he felt himself sway on his feet. He could sense Liam's concern, knew he looked like he'd seen a ghost, but he didn't seem to be in control of his body anymore. Every bone was locked in place as a smirk wove itself onto Nick's face.

"Hey, little omega."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) DID ANYONE ELSE WATCH LOUIS' SHOW? I THINK I DIED A COUPLE OF TIMES  
> B) I think this chapter turned out a little more angsty than originally intended?  
> C) Did anyone get the Friends referenceee  
> D) So I wanted to ask your opinion on fluff vs. smut... They're getting together soon but I wasn't sure if you guys wanted me to keep it PG or not. Obviously if not I'd add the appropriate tags but I just wanted to check :)
> 
> Sorry for ranting, I hope you're liking it!


	5. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY! A DAY LATE BUT I'M ALIVE
> 
> So this part was kind of inspired by Taylor Swift's "Tolerate It" for reasons that I think will become pretty self-evident a little bit into the chapter
> 
> Also thank you so much for all of the lovely comments! You're all the reason I haven't given up on this fic :)
> 
> (Quick lil shoutout to Robin0203 for always motivating me to keep writing after every post 🥰)

"Fucking hell he's going to drop. His alpha needs to bring him back."

"He doesn't have one."

"What do you mean he doesn't have one?"

"Does it look like there's a panicking person nearby?"

"Shit okay, get Harry."

Louis couldn't tell whose voices were floating through the limbo wrapping its arms around him. Everything was blurred into the deafening sound of his heartbeat and the pulsing feeling of his heart tearing through the cages in his body. His breath was caught in his lungs and his mind was caught in the past.

_"Is that okay there?" He'd taken a step back to admire the Christmas decorations he'd been in charge of. Nick didn't look up from his phone._

_An exasperated sigh. Nothing._

_An_ extra _-exasperated sigh._

_Nick rolled his eyes and finally met Louis' pout. "What the fuck do you want?"_

_He'd huffed and gestured at the intricately hung white lights flickering so they cast pup-shaped shadows across the floors. It had taken him approximately twelve consecutive hours, several sets of ladders, and mild vertigo to get them draped across the whole building. "You ordered me to do this, but you're not looking at it."_

_"I don't give a shit about fairy lights and pretty shadows. It's just tradition for you to do it." He'd gone back to his phone, scrolling through whatever was more important than his boyfriend._

_Louis had ignored the painfully familiar feeling crawling up his skin and simply vowed to do better. Just a little bit more to get noticed. For Nick to maybe smile and say just how gorgeous everything looked. For him to maybe stop ignoring Louis for days on end and leaving him to crawl into a cold bed._

_Just a little bit better._

Arms closed around him as someone worked to bring him back from the brink.

"Breathe. You're here. You're safe." The words were slow, melodic, forcefully calm. Someone was tumbling towards the edge of panic but staying in control long enough to be exactly what Louis needed.

A sweet smell overtook his senses. He could make out someone scenting him, arms holding him as they nosed along his neck. It filled him with a warm sense of calm, so strong he almost wanted to curl up into a ball and go to sleep.

Whoever was scenting him must have realized this, because they reluctantly pulled away and straightened up. Still, they kept their arms around him. "Louis, can you hear me?"

Louis blinked a couple of times until his vision came into focus. Standing there was Harry, concern etched into every feature on his face. Louis felt a dark blush splatter his cheeks as he realized what he was doing, but it quickly turned to dread as he realized why.

He was standing in the middle of the school parking lot, dozens of people trying to see what was happening and half his pack looking ready to fight somebody. Curious groups of teenagers were on their tip-toes, all whispering and speculating amongst each other. It was all a little too much at once as he tried to steady his breathing. The suffocating feeling was inching its way back, everyone's eyes closing on a moment he wished he could be alone for.

Harry placed a hand on the nape of his neck, silently willing him to calm down. But there was that sickeningly bitter smell again, making it difficult for Louis to breathe. He didn't want it lingering in his nose or pushing at the back of his throat.

The alpha could tell the crowd was making Louis uncomfortable, so he turned and let out a low, menacing growl. It didn't take long for the sound to reach the attentive ears, everyone who wasn't a pack member immediately scurrying away and shielding their eyes. No one was eager to anger a pack alpha whose omega was in trouble, especially when that anger was coming from Harry. They muttered apologies and went on their way while he steered Louis over to his car.

"What happened?" His voice was soft, but protective. An omega didn't randomly go towards a drop; it could be brought on by multiple things, but Louis reeked of anxiety. For him to have teetered so close to the edge, something must have probed deep into his psyche. And considering he was perfectly fine in the morning, it was something close and recent.

Louis opened his mouth to talk but _that smell_. "It's..." Trashed memories, the lingering feeling of lonely love, paper cuts he'd bandaged.

The alpha rubbed slow circles on his back, patiently coaxing him to talk. But he didn't want to talk. He wanted to sink into denial and stay with Harry until everyone else went away.

"Nick," he finally breathed out.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Nick... from the other pack house?"

A dazed nod of the head.

"What about him?"

"He's here." Louis knew Harry couldn't possibly understand why this was an emergency, but he tried to convert the urgency of the situation through the heavy tone of his voice. He needed to get out of there, needed to run away from the boy who shattered his heart and tore through the ruins.

"Okay," Harry nodded. He tucked the shaken omega into his side, supporting most of his weight. "Is it okay if I take you back to the pack house?"

The rest of the pack members seemed to take this as an indication that it was okay to approach them, because they started heading in the same direction. Louis could make out Liam behind Zayn, clearly shaken and pale. He felt a little guilty for worrying him, but he couldn't feel much other than fear and the emotional exhaustion of a near drop. Zayn and a blonde alpha-- Niall? --were leading the group, protectively placing themselves in front of the omegas. He might have been a little indignant on their behalf at any other time, but the threat of a drop was enough for him to understand the alphas' behavior. They didn't yet understand what had set Louis off, so he couldn't blame them for not wanting to take any chances.

Louis nodded. He let a relieved sigh slip out from between his lips as they began nearing the car, but it was abruptly cut off.

"Styles."

A cold voice. Like gravel. Something scraping his insides. _I tolerate you._

_He'd barely just registered the situation, the empty bed. The hoodie he'd been wearing was replaced by a ratty t-shirt and the oversized socks pulled off his feet. The faded picture he kept tucked under the lamp was missing. All traces of Nick had seemingly melted into the dust sprinkled about the floor._

_When he'd woken up and padded across the halls to find Nick in his own room, he'd felt his initial confusion melt into a peculiar form of dread. Yes, they'd had that argument earlier that day but... he'd said it was fine. So wasn't it?_

_Any doubts he'd had solidified when he saw Nick was wide awake, leafing through a book he'd already read._

_"Nick?"_

_He'd looked up, kept his eyes on Louis for a few seconds, and turned back to his book. An uneasy silence had stretched out, a mix of worry and anxiety working its way into Louis' stomach. He didn't want to fight and yell and cry, he just wanted to sleep. And he didn't want to sleep alone._

_He'd clutched the blanket around him, using it as a shield from the moment itself. "I'm sorry. You know it's not something I did consciously." His voice had come out small, scared, and he'd cleared it before saying the next word. "Please."_

_The alpha didn't look at him. Didn't acknowledge his presence. Didn't so much as bat an eye at the boy a few seconds away from chewing through his nails._

_And he'd let himself cry, because pride wasn't something he'd thought he'd had to protect at the time._ _"I love you," he'd choked out._

_At that point, Nick had looked him in the eye, a sour look of pity and disgust on his face. "I know, omega. But I tolerate you."_

Louis pushed the memories aside and pressed his body closer to Harry's. That was a healed wound he didn't want poked and prodded. It had hurt worse than anything else, he'd cried his eyes out, he'd forced himself to pick the scattered pieces of himself back up, he'd moved on, and he'd survived. 

The alpha seemed to draw a connection as he subtly put himself in front of Louis. "Grimshaw. I'd love to talk, but I have to take care of someone."

His answering snarl made Louis want to sink to his knees, an instinctively submissive feeling he hated getting from alphas. It'd only happened a few times, but it was one of the few things he could never bring himself to forgive. It was an abuse of power and wholly regressive. And Harry seemed to feel the same way, judging by the calming pheromones he immediately used to relax Louis.

"I can take care of my omega perfectly well," Nick said slowly, composing himself.

"Louis doesn't have a bonding mark, so he's not _your_ omega."

"Hand him over for a few seconds and he will be. Then we won't have a problem, yeah?"

Nick's smile was the epitome of plastic sweetness, but Louis felt a wave of fear crash into his body. If it had been anyone else, he'd flip them off and strut away without a care in the world. If it had been anyone else, he'd scoff and roll his eyes. But it wasn't anyone else, and the most he could do was shake his head.

Niall was at the front of the group now, considering Zayn was positioned directly in front of Liam (a development Louis would have to look into later), and had inched close enough to catch the exchange. He snorted in disgust and scrunched up his nose. "My good sir, it's the twenty-first century. That's not exactly how shit works now."

"And what's stopping me? He's still a part of my pack," Nick sneered.

Harry growled and blocked Louis from his sight. "And he's in _my_ pack house. If I'm playing by your rules, I outrank you in claim. So no, you can't just mate him."

Nick drew himself to full height and took a step forward. "I don't want to fight," he said, taking his time to enunciate each word. "But I will."

Instead of moving back-- which Louis really wouldn't have blamed him for --Harry looked him square in the eye. "Right now, I'm going to take Louis home. I'm going to make sure he's okay, and you're not going to get in the way. Once that's done, we can talk. Yes?"

_Home._ Louis didn't even want to begin picking through the implications of that.

Nick didn't look eager to agree, but he didn't have his pack whereas Harry did. If he tried to fight him now, the odds were not in his favor. "Fine, have it your way." He looked over Harry's shoulder and curled his lip as his eyes landed on the boy doing his very best to keep his back perfectly straight. "And I'll be seeing you soon, little omega."

As soon as he turned on his heel and set off to his car, Louis felt an uneasy tension in his body loosen up. His shoulders dropped and his knees buckled as a weight was pushed off his shoulders. He hadn't quite been able to wrap his head around the situation, but now everything seemed to sort itself. The pieces fell into place and he registered a few things at once:

1) Everyone was looking at him with a mix of concern and confusion, probably biting their tongues on fifty questions each

2) His family was all huddled together, their worried expressions bringing out a twinge of guilt in his stomach

3) He was standing _far_ too close to Harry

He fixed that last point immediately, muttering a quiet "thank you" as he inched away. He ignored the hurt expression on the alpha's face as he turned to where his mother was clutching Lottie's hand.

She let go as Louis came nearer, moving to place a comforting hand against his shoulder blades. She looked pale, shock still lingering in her system. "Love, why is he here again?" she whispered.

Louis shook his head helplessly. "I... I don't know. think we made it pretty clear when we left that we didn't want to see him again."

She nodded, his words erasing any doubt that he hadn't shown up spontaneously. "You need to talk to Harry. I hate to bring him so much trouble, but he's the only one that can help us. When it comes to a pack alpha... you know the complications."

Louis grimaced, well aware of the baggage you accepted when you pissed off a pack alpha. "I will, I just.. he's going to want to help more than I think he should. We've only been here for a few days. I don't want to ask too much from someone we just met."

She looked at him for a moment, as if mulling over whether or not the next words were meant to be said out loud. In the end, she sighed and gave him a soft smile. "Something tells me he won't mind."

A blush splattered Louis' cheeks as he avoided making any eye contact. He opened his mouth to talk but ultimately found himself at a loss for words. 

"It's fine," she said, her voice resembling something like a laugh. "I know you've decided to spend the rest of your life kicking yourself about what happened, but it wasn't your fault. Despite what you and Lottie seem to think, the way things turned out wasn't because he was a pack alpha. Yes, that detail didn't particularly help things, but it was much more than that."

"But it wouldn't have happened if I'd just kept my distance."

"True, and if it hadn't, we'd still be living under a terrible alpha."

He frowned. "Okay, but what about the move and the relocating? It messed everything up."

"And now we have a lovely home with wonderful people. Love, he's a terrible person who didn't deserve you. Yes, you made a mistake." She shrugged and gently pulled him in for a hug. "We all do. That doesn't mean we stop trying."

Louis nodded, attempting to let her words sink in. It went against everything he'd been telling himself, every silent promise he'd made. He didn't want to get hurt again, and he didn't want to end up hurting his family again.

"And besides," Jay added, "I quite like this boy."

Louis went back to blushing and sputtering, turning back to look at Harry. He was surprised to find the alpha watching him, an unreadable expression on his face.

He walked up to him slowly, deliberately. He couldn't just make a decision on the spot, but he was no longer completely opposed to letting Harry in. He wasn't Nick, even if he was a pack alpha. He had power, but he'd never abused it. Even though, at the beginning, Louis would never have suspected Nick of it either... _But Harry wasn't Nick._

"Can you please take me back to the pack house? I don't have a car," he asked quietly.

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise but quickly nodded. Before heading off, he turned to the rest of the pack. "Alright," he announced, his voice carrying over the rest of the parking lot. "Everyone should stay here. Right now this doesn't involve anyone else, and we definitely don't need it to escalate into a fight between packs."

Zayn shook his head, a frown on his face. "We can't just let you go alone."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know, but the alternative would be leaving all of the omegas here. You won't be able to concentrate if we don't because you'll be too busy trying to protect them. And, given what just happened, I don't think any of you are too keen on leaving their sides."

To Louis' surprise-- and apparently to Liam's as well, if his wide eyes and open jaw were any indication --Zayn turned to Liam. The alpha was biting his lip and weighing his options, temporarily torn between instinct and responsibility. Finally, he turned back to Harry and gave him a painfully apologetic look. "You're right, I can't."

Harry simply shrugged. "I get it," he reassured him, the understanding in his voice catching Louis off guard. He did?

"If you need anything, don't hesitate. I'm serious," Niall piped up. He had his arms crossed over his chest, trying to seem tough even though he looked like a little marshmallow.

"Of course. Hopefully it'll all be sorted out by the time you get back." He didn't really sound like he believed the words, but they comforted Louis anyway.

With a final wave, they both started making their way to the car. 

Louis went slack-jawed when he realized Harry drove a black car that looked like it came right out of the 50s. He didn't comment on it, but he kept staring at the beauty awe as he slid into the passenger seat.

It wasn't until he was buckled in and Harry had his hands on the wheel that Louis realized they were alone. He didn't know if he was supposed to break the silence, maybe offer an explanation? Despite everything, he wasn't sure if Harry really wanted to talk to him after the events of the morning. It had been going spectacularly well at first, but he'd cut off all ties promptly. And for good reason... at the time. Now, he wasn't so sure if the reason had been applicable at all. He still wanted to keep from accidentally hurting his family again, but Harry might not have been a threat to them in the first place.

He was so torn in his own bubble of confusion that he didn't realize when Harry spoke.

"Louis?"

He whipped his head around to look at the alpha. "Sorry, what?"

"I was wondering what happened," he gently prompted. "You don't have to tell, but it would help," he admitted as he ran a hand through his hair. He shook the curls out, something Louis noticed he did whenever he was nervous or didn't know what to do. It made a small part of Louis want to stand up and tug on the curls himself.. but now was definitely not the time or place for that. "If I end up fighting Nick, I think it'd be better if I knew what I was fighting him for."

Louis shook his head and tried not to be overwhelmed by everything. "You don't have to do any of this. I appreciate it immensely, but I couldn't ask you to fight him."

Harry frowned and tapped one of his rings against the steering wheel. "You don't have to ask me to. He's an asshole, and it's about time he stops treating people the way he does. It's just.. I want to understand-- if you're okay with it. I'm sorry, I wouldn't ever want to pressure you into telling me if you're not ready or uncomfortable or just don't want to."

"No no, it's okay," he breathed out. He felt like he could trust Harry with it, but he just needed to figure out how to say the words that would explain it all, scanning his thoughts for a set of perfect phrases. It seemed like too much information and too many emotions to shove into a set of sentences, even if he knew he had to. There were so many things to say, and so many wrong ways to say it...

He cleared his throat when he realized how long the silence had stretched out. "Um, alright. Well, if it wasn't clear by the real charming nickname he has for me, Nick and I used to date. I grew up in his pack house, and we started going out about a year and a half ago. Before he was a pack alpha, he actually wasn't so horrible. Really, he was the opposite. He was fun and absolutely hilarious, the kind of person you didn't really mind being around all the time. But then, maybe six months in, his dad renounced being pack alpha and he just... changed. He took on the role and became completely unrecognizable. He started acting like omegas were something to claim, he was rude and entitled, and he just took everyone for granted. I think I tried to look past all of that, clinging onto this version I hadn't seen of him in ages. But, I don't know if it was real or not for him, but it was for me. I really thought it was just a little blip, something that we could get past. That he would step back and realize how he was treating all of us like shit, and then we'd be okay. Obviously, that didn't happen.

"It was a pain living with him, loving him. It was like constantly trying to prove yourself to someone who was truly incapable of seeing you as anything past a nuisance." He decided not to fixate on the way Harry stiffened beside him and kept on with the story. "I think I knew I deserved better, but I was just so caught up in him. I grew up with him, so it was difficult to realize that he wasn't the same person I used to know. His favorite phrase to say actually became, 'I tolerate you.' It was.. well, it was hell."

He stopped for a moment, needing a few seconds to get past the words he'd only ever shared with his family. It helped a little to talk about it, letting someone share the weight of the memories, but that didn't make it any easier.

"And you still loved him?" Harry asked him softly.

Louis winced at the question. It wasn't like you could just stop loving someone, especially if you didn't realize the way they were messing with your life. "It's not that simple. My life sort of revolved around him, and he was the pack alpha I lived under. I couldn't separate him from myself enough to see just how messed up everything had become. 

"I think the turning point was when he asked me to go off of suppressants. I hadn't had a heat since I was a kid, but I didn't mind. I guess I didn't really think it through and just blindly agreed. Anyway, my heat came and... it was a disaster; my omega completely rejected him. According to my mom, I couldn't even stand the smell of him. Which, it's not like I could control it, but he blamed me anyway. I don't think he was actually hurt that I rejected him; it was more so that I'd wounded his pride. The whole pack house knew, even though he didn't end up having anything to worry about. They coddled him and comforted him and I... I was just kind of reduced to the person with the audacity to reject their alpha."

Harry reached out and wrapped his hand around Louis'. The latter was glad for the support, clinging to the comforting gesture as tightly as he could. "I mean, as pack alpha, you probably know better than anyone else what pack members are for someone. They're something more deeply-rooted than family, so close that losing one is like losing a limb. But, after everything with Nick, they just kind of shunned my family and I. I was seen as having terribly disrespected the pack alpha, so everyone-- all of my childhood friends, my sisters', _everyone_ \--pretended like my family and I didn't exist. They'd make dinner and conveniently forget our portions, or mess with the schedules so we got the shittiest chores. No one talked to us, hell, no one _looked_ at us.

"That went on for maybe two months? One day, my mother just lost it. She got into a deathly shouting match with Nick one night and we packed all of our suitcases a couple of hours later. We stayed in hotels for a few nights before she got into contact with Anne. And, well, you know the rest."

"I'm so sorry," Harry whispered. He looked both angry and sad, as if he couldn't decide which emotion overpowered the other.

Louis shrugged. He didn't need pity or even empathy-- just understanding. "It happened, but it's over now. I just... I can't get near him again. I don't want to see him, I don't want to smell him, I don't want to know him. And I think he kind of gave up the right to know me."

Harry nodded, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes. "Of course, I can understand that. And you won't, I promise." He said the words as if he were really making a vow, pouring as much emotion into them as he could muster.

Louis turned to smile at him, surprised when he realized they were already parked outside of the pack house. "Thank you."

They stayed there for a little, caught in their own private moment. It was like they were both trying to read the other, analyzing their eyes for answers to all the questions they hadn't asked.

"Hey Louis," Harry started. He kept fidgeting with his hands, slowly driving Louis insane. He kept drumming them against the steering wheel, turning his rings, fiddling with the hem of his shirt, and then going back to the steering wheel.

He cocked his head to the side and waited for him to elaborate. "Yeah?"

"Is that why you said what you did this morning? Because of everything Nick did?" He finally turned to look Louis, a guarded expression in his eyes. There was still understanding there-- Louis wasn't sure if that shade of green could ever lose its kindness --but there was also hesitancy.

Louis immediately felt a coil of guilt unspool at the base of his stomach. He wanted to reach over and smooth out the little crease in between Harry's eyebrows and kiss his cheek. To tell him that he was infuriatingly perfect and there would never be anything he did that could make someone turn away.

"I sort of associated everything that happened with his position. Everything that happened with the pack, and the way he used to make everyone else feel inferior... I tied it to being a pack alpha. I'm still having trouble separating them, to be honest. There was just something my mother told me a little bit ago that made me think maybe I was wrong. But regardless, it had nothing to do with you. Really, please don't think you made me turn away. That was entirely me." _You're perfect_ were the words that went unsaid.

Harry offered him a small smile as he reached out to get out of the car. He waited until Louis was standing on the grass with him before popping the next question. "Do you think there's still a chance you could stay? Not run or push me away?"

Louis was caught off guard, blinking a few times. The curly-haired boy was watching him patiently, and Louis got the feeling he would willingly wait years to hear the answer. And maybe that was what gave the omega the answer; it was on the tip of his tongue. 

"If you promise to make me scones," he joked.

And it was absolutely worth it, because there were those dimples. That childish grin could probably split Harry's face in half, and Louis couldn't help but flip him off as Harry tucked him under his arm. It was an odd twist in their conversation, but Louis wouldn't have had it any other way. He hadn't so much made a decision as gone with his gut, placing his trust in the alpha. Maybe he was making a mistake by handing out his trust one more time, but he felt like the risk of heartbreak didn't come close to outweighing a chance with Harry.

They walked into the pack house, stumbling up the stairs because they refused to split up. "I want to take a nap," he mumbled into Harry's shirt.

The alpha laughed, throwing his head back like a little boy. "I think we're going to be a little busy when Nick gets here."

He groaned and kept nuzzling into Harry, responsibility and logic be damned. "Just a little one? And you can wake me up when he gets here."

It was probably the aftereffects from having been near a drop, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so tired. It felt like his bones weighed ten times more than he was used to, gravity pulling a little harder than usual.

Harry sighed but walked over to Louis' room. He pushed the covers aside and laid down on the bed, pulling Louis on top of him. The omega hummed happily as he let his head fall on Harry's chest.

He could feel the steady rhythm of the alpha's heartbeat, his soft breaths a somehow achingly familiar lullaby. It reminded him of how it felt to listen to an old song you'd forgotten, suddenly memorizing every beat because you knew it from the beginning. He concentrated on Harry, singing along in his head. One, two, three, and he was drifting off.

He didn't think he'd been asleep for more than fifteen minutes when he felt someone playing with his fringe. He cracked an eye open to see Harry watching him with a small smile on his lips.

He pouted and squeezed his eyes back shut. "What is it Harold?"

Harry laughed at the nickname and slowly began tucking the blankets away. He waited until the omega could open his eyes for more than a few seconds at a time before gently pulling him to his feet. He pressed a kiss to his temple and led the way out the door.

"Sorry to wake you, darling. Time to face the music."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the wait was at least a little bit worth it <3
> 
> And now that the holiday break's here I'll actually have time to write!


	6. Always

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovelies, I hope you've all had the best holidays!!
> 
> Don't hate me for not warning you, last chapter! 🙈🙈

Louis clutched Harry's arm closer to his side. He wanted to melt into the alpha and stay in their little bubble, leaving Nick on the other side of the door. It wasn't so much fear now as it was dread. He knew whatever happened, however civil, it wouldn't be pleasant. Nick was too stubborn to let things be, Harry was too loving to give up, and Louis... he didn't know what he was.

His hand on the doorknob, Harry turned to look at Louis. "Are you ready?"

Louis uncurled his arm from around the alpha's and swallowed. "Yeah, I'm good." His hands had begun to shake slightly, but he steadied them against the fabric of his jeans.

"I won't let him touch you," Harry whispered. He pressed a fleeting kiss to Louis' forehead and pulled the door open.

There stood Nick, his body leaning against the doorframe. At the sight of the omega, his lips quirked up in a bloodcurdling smile. "Happy to see I kept my promise?"

Louis felt frozen, as if all of his limbs were locked into place. He wanted to scream in anger, or maybe cry of frustration, but he couldn't seem to do either. After a few seconds, Harry gently nudged him.

"I.. no," he mumbled. That was all he could muster, but it seemed to be enough to ignite an ugly fire behind Nick's eyes.

"We'll have to work on that."

Harry seemed to sense the danger in the silence stretching across the room, so he swiftly stepped in front of Louis and gestured for Nick to step inside. He was ever the picture of politeness, even if the tension in his muscles suggested otherwise. "Do you think we could talk in the living room?"

Nick shook his head and stayed outside. "I think it would be better if we spoke out here."

Suspicion lined the features in Harry's face, but he didn't seem eager to cause any more trouble than was absolutely necessary. "Alright," he sighed reluctantly. His arm never leaving Louis' waist, he walked over to a particularly large tree and leaned against the bark. "What exactly is it that you want?"

Nick shrugged. "That's easy: Louis."

"And you know I'm not just handing him over. Knowing you're not just going to walk away from here with Louis in tow, I'm asking again. _What do you want?"_

Nick's eyes narrowed every so slightly, but his posture didn't change otherwise. "I don't think you understand, Styles. Louis is leaving with me, one way or another. You have three options: 1) Fight me for him, 2) Start a pack war over him, 3) Hand him over without any trouble. It seems to be a pretty simple dilemma to me."

Louis wanted to ask why (after _everything_ ) Nick was being so insistent about taking him, but he already knew the answer. Once the shame of having driven away an omega from the pack sunk in, Nick had probably torn the whole pack apart looking for Louis' pack house. Regaining his lost omega wasn't a matter of love; it was a matter of pride.

"There aren't any diplomatic measures you'd be willing to try first? No negotiations you'd be willing to make?" Harry knew the answer before he asked the question, but a fight between pack alphas was something one normally tried to avoid at all costs.

"Not if it means I'm walking away without the omega you've strapped to your side," Nick sneered.

Harry growled in response, his hand unconsciously tightening around Louis' waist. "Fine. But we don't need this escalating to a pack war: this is solely a fight between you and I."

"Alright, but that means you," Nick said, turning towards Louis, "can't intervene. No matter what."

He didn't like the sound of that, but he knew he had to agree. As much as he knew it would be hell to stand back and watch, that was the only way that they could keep this from blowing out of proportion. So he found himself nodding, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He had to trust Harry would be okay, and he'd have to steel his own bones.

"Perfect."

Without warning, Nick launched himself towards Harry. He shifted midair, ready to pounce upon the other alpha. A scream got caught in Louis' throat, silently trapped in between the muscles of his throat.

The movement didn't seem to catch Harry as off guard as it had the omega, because he rolled out of the way just in time. Nick landed on a pile of leaves, the wolf snarling at the empty space. 

In the few seconds it took Nick to turn back around, Harry shifted. Even though Louis had seen his wolf form up close before, he still found himself gaping at the mere size of it. Nick was a relatively large alpha, his long coat a murky shade of burnt amber, but he was nothing compared to Harry. The black wolf towered over the other, the emeralds in his eyes shining against his fur.

They both circled each other for a moment, locked in a silent match until Nick lunged forward. Louis felt the breath get knocked out of his lungs as he realized just how seriously Nick was taking this. Instead of aiming for Harry's legs or somewhere he could maim the wolf, he went straight for his neck. He wasn't in this to injure Harry enough to prove his point, he was aiming to _kill_.

Louis swallowed the bile that rose to his throat. Harry managed to avoid the attack and twisted around to scratch his claws against the other alpha's hide, a few droplets of blood splattering onto the leaves beneath them. The brown wolf howled in response, throwing himself at Harry with a newfound vigor. Louis knew he should have had some instinctive pull towards Nick, since he was once his pack alpha-- some urge to defend him, or at least some pain every time he was hurt --but he felt nothing. His own apathy took him by surprise, but he was glad for it. He hadn't known Harry for nearly as long, but all of his efforts went into a hyper-protective instinct. Every time Nick so much as got near the alpha, Louis had to stop a growl from working its way past his throat.

He watched as they almost climbed on top of each other, the black wolf holding off the other as he blindly snapped his jaws. At some point Nick's teeth grazed Harry's ear, a trickle of blood getting lost in the dark fur. Nothing more than a barely audible yelp was heard from the black wolf, but it was enough to send Louis into a panic. He had to bite his lip and clasp his hands tightly together to keep from doing anything, desperately trying to root his feet to the ground.

It went on like that until Harry seemed to get tired of holding off the other wolf, drawing himself to full height. A low, long growl sounded from his throat as he lunged at Nick. There was a blur of fur and teeth, everything moving to quickly for Louis to tell exactly what was happening. Then, with the sound a nauseating crunch, Harry sank his teeth into Nick's left leg. The brown wolf howled in pain, scratching at the other without aim or strategy. He managed to scrape Harry a few times, matting blood in the fur, but it wasn't enough for the alpha to let go. He simply closed his jaw tighter, holding him in place until he asked a question.

_Is this enough?_

Louis knew what he was asking. Was it enough for him to leave them in peace, enough for him to accept defeat and let Louis go. Louis knew Harry well enough to know that he would try his very best to avoid having to kill the other, and he figured this was his attempt at finally laying the conflict to rest.

Nick howled again, but Harry held him down with his paws. Louis knew he wouldn't be able to hear Nick's answer, so he watched the alphas intently. A few moments passed, one squirming in pain as the other determinedly kept his gaze steady, before Harry's jaws opened again. He spit out fur and blood while Nick pulled himself back up. Louis watched in wonder as, with nothing more than a wrathful snarl, the brown wolf limped away. He was probably going back to his pack, his wounds a sign of his defeat.

As soon as he was gone, Harry fell on the ground and Louis could feel the pain-induced exhaustion surrounding the wolf. Before he knew what he was doing--clothes be damned --Louis was shifting as he ran over to the alpha. He found his little body crawling over the black wolf, searching for all the spots he was injured. Without embarrassment or inhibitions this time, he licked over the wounds and gently nudged his nose into the alpha's neck. He whined at the pain he could feel from Harry's stinging cuts, and he didn't stop until he was sure that every last one of them had been taken care of.

When he nosed along the wolf's jaw, Harry raised his head and shifted over just enough to make space for the omega. He was still exhausted, but he waited for Louis to curl into his side. Louis let his head rest on the alpha's neck and closed his eyes. He was too caught up in the adrenaline of the moment to be able to go to sleep, but he was content in Harry's arms. He was enveloped in warmth, soft fur, and his favorite smell.

They must have stayed that way for hours, Louis occasionally drifting into a hypnagogic state, before he heard someone clear their throat. Dazed and still waking up from a soft bliss, Louis forced his eyes to blink open. Standing in front of the pair, a raised eyebrow and amused smile on her face, was Harry's sister.

_Oh shit. She must have just gotten home from work._

Louis yelped and jumped off of the alpha, his paws landing unsteadily on the ground. He knew he wouldn't be able to explain anything to her, given that he was still in his wolf form, and his ripped clothes were a reminder that he couldn't shift back. She would just have to make assumptions about why he was draped over her sleeping brother. Any and every of the ideas that could possibly be running through her mind added to Louis' ever-growing mortification.

"Louis?"

The alpha looked around, the sudden lack of warmth having woken him up. He slowly pulled himself to his feet and seemed to notice his sister for the first time. He blinked confusedly as he realized he was still in the stretch of grass outside of his pack house. He seemed to register Louis' embarrassment at the same time he registered Gemma's playful smirk, and he rolled his eyes. He sent her a warning glare and turned just enough to nudge Louis lightly with his nose, trying to encourage him not to hide behind him.

The little white wolf shuffled forward but stayed pressed to Harry's side.

"Alright lovebirds," Gemma teased, "I'll leave you to it. I'll make sure to leave some clothes out for when you come inside."

Harry snorted and managed a nod-like gesture as his sister unsubtly winked. She closed the door behind her with an enthusiastic kick. 

"Well, I think I have made a truly spectacular first impression," Louis groaned, knowing only Harry could hear him.

"Oh, it wasn't so bad. We could have been doing something much worse than sleeping," he laughed.

Louis ignored the way the words made his stomach flip and settled for running his head into Harry's side. "Oh my god Harold, you really will be the death of me."

Harry circled around Louis and tentatively licked his ear. "The same Harold that just fought a pack alpha for you."

The events from earlier in the day seemed to hit them at the same time, both stopping to let the weight seep through their shoulders and settle on the ground beneath their paws.

"Thank you," Louis whispered. "Really." 

Harry nosed the omega's cheek and pressed lightly against his fur. "I'd do it again if it meant you get to stay with me."

Louis rolled his eyes fondly, but he leaned in to the touch. "You're such a sap."

The alpha huffed and pulled Louis closer to his side as they started trotting up to the house. They went in through the back door and found that, true to her word, Gemma had left T-shirts and two pairs of jeans out. Harry turned around, waited for Louis to change, and then pulled his own clothes on.

Once they were both dressed, Louis checked the time. "Oh, everyone should be getting home right about now."

The alpha raised his eyebrows. "Why does it feel like it's been five minutes since this morning?"

"Because it kind of has. You basically slept through the day."

Harry scrunched up his nose and crossed his arms in indignation. "I was tired."

Louis laughed and wrapped his arms around the taller boy's waist. "Hm, I know you were. Which is why you're excused this time."

Before Harry could answer, Liam burst through the door. His hair was all mussed and he looked disheveled, but the crazily ecstatic look in his eyes let Louis know that everything was better than okay.

"LOUIS! Are you okay? You will not believe--"

Liam's eyes landed on the moment he interrupted, and his ears turned bright red. "Oh my god, Harry, Louis, I'm so sorry. I'll just come back in a few minutes, or whenever you're good, or like you can call me," he rambled on. He started back-tracking out of the room, but Lous reached out to stop him.

"No no, I want to hear what happened." He bit his lip and turned back to Harry. "Sorry, is it fine if I talk to Liam?"

The pack alpha quickly nodded, quickly pressing a kiss to Louis' cheek. "Yeah, I'll be downstairs if you need anything." He silently excused himself from the room, offering a sputtering Liam a reassuring smile on his way out.

Once he was gone, Liam turned to Louis with wide eyes. "Did I just see what I think I saw?"

Louis grinned and plopped himself down onto the bed. "Yes, yes you did. But we can talk about me later. Right now I want to hear about whatever had you ready to have a heart attack."

The wonderfully crazy look returned to Liam's eyes. "YES. Okay, so-- wait, first thing's first. With everything that happened this morning, are you okay?"

Louis smiled at the concern and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good now."

"Thank god. Okay, so this morning when everyone was freaking out with all of the commotion, Zayn kept being so... protective. It sort of felt like he was defending me? Even though there wasn't really anything to defend me from, but that's not the point. And you were there for when I completely freaked out because Harry said that thing about the alphas not wanting to leave their omegas and _he looked at me._ So I was already in a state of shock as it was, but then he went and walked me to every class. He actually walked me everywhere!! We didn't really say much, but he kept looking over to smile at me. I was ready to die by the end of the day, and then he pulled me aside to talk.

"So I'm one step away from an aneurysm when he tells me that he wants to go on a date. A DATE. He said he'd been meaning to ask me for a while, but I'd never really approached him until this morning. And I guess he took the hint because he just kind of went for it. I think I forgot how English works for a minute but then I obviously said yes. And then we just kind of made out," Liam finished, a dazed smile on his face.

Louis' eyes were as wide as saucers. "Holyyyyy. You made out??"

Liam bit his lip, a smile threatening to split his face in half. "It was perfect."

Louis jumped on his friend, enveloping him in a tight hug. "That's amazing! See, I told you it would work out. I didn't think he needed _that_ small a push, but that's even better. He must like you a lot."

Liam blushed and hid his face in his hands. "I hope so."

"So have you guys picked a day?"

"I think he wanted it to be on Friday, and I'm completely free then so it works out."

"I will one-hundred percent be there to help you pick out your outfit and make sure you're able to speak coherent sentences."

Liam gave him a grateful smile and shot a scared glance towards his closet. "I hadn't thought about that."

"Which is precisely why you have me," Louis grinned. "Now come on, everyone's probably starving."

They bounded down the stairs, each excited to see a particular person. Just as they were about to enter the dining room, the increasingly-familiar commotion could be heard from the hall.

"Louis!"

The omega whirled around to see Lottie looking at him with worried eyes. He motioned for Liam to go save him a seat as he walked over to his sister.

"I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you since this morning," she said. "Is he gone? What happened?"

"Don't worry, everything's perfect," he assured her. "Harry ended up fighting Nick but it went really well. He only ended up with a couple of cuts, and I helped him with those," he added quietly, but not enough not to be heard.

Lottie raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I just.. you know, took care of him. And he fell asleep with me." He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, not particularly eager to hear his sister's reaction.

She stayed silent for a minute, blinking. "Are you and Harry together now?"

"We haven't really talked about it, but... yeah. Yeah, I think so." He wasn't asking her for permission, but the tone of his voice still asked a silent question. He wanted her to be okay with it and, if anything went wrong, he didn't want guilt to weigh down on him again. 

"Um," she started, mulling over her words before speaking. "Okay. Just, please promise me he's nothing like Nick."

Louis quickly shook his head. "Not at all. He's sweeter, selfless, thoughtful. He's perfect."

Lottie fixed her face into one of mock disgust and he flipped her off. Laughing, she slung an arm over his shoulder and led him into the dining room. 

"Well then, I couldn't be happier for you."

He smiled and leaned his head against her shoulder. When they walked through the door, most people were already sitting. Lottie went over to sit with Fizzy and the girls while Louis made his way over to the front of the table. Liam was sitting next to Zayn, a simultaneously dreamy and panicked look on his face. Louis chuckled and took the empty seat across from him, which just happened to be next to Harry.

The alpha turned to smile at him, pulling his chair an inch closer to his own.

"Hey Harry," Louis started, never one to beat around the bush, "what exactly are we?"

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"Can I call you my boyfriend?" The words left his mouth confidently, completely lacking any trace of the insecurity causing him to have palpitations. But before the omega could go into cardiac arrest, Harry gave him a dimpled grin.

"Yeah, you can. And I can call you mine."

Before Louis could come up with a witty remark to distract Harry from the blush working its way up his neck and cheeks, Harry leaned forward to kiss him. Louis closed his eyes on instinct and let himself sink into the feeling, trying not to smile through the kiss. Harry's lips were incredibly soft and the pressure perfect.

Realizing they were still at the dinner table and everybody was staring, Louis pulled away with flaming red cheeks. "Uh, good to know then."

Harry snorted and linked their fingers together. He turned back to everybody else and smiled like nothing happened. "Alright, let's eat."

\- - -

_(Six months later)_

Louis pulled one of his boyfriend's old T-shirts over his head and crawled under the white sheets. He rolled onto his side, dragging all of the covers with him.

Harry, already snuggled in, snorted and pulled them back.

"Oi!" Louis protested. He tugged them back, raising his eyebrows when Harry didn't let go. "Excuse me, where are your gentlemanly ways?"

"I believe they went away when it hit two in the morning."

Lous narrowed his eyes. "Are you aware that it is freezing? You are by some miracle a walking radiator, but some of us actually need blankets to stay warm. You wouldn't want me getting hypothermia or, god forbid, _dying?"_

Harry pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's not fair, it doesn't even make sense." 

"Hypothermia is a real thing, Harold. You should not underestimate the ways of nature."

He reluctantly let go of the covers with a fond roll of his eyes. "Only because I love you."

Louis grinned and wrapped himself into a tight little cocoon. "Or maybe because you know my crankiness on cold nights knows no bounds."

Harry shook his head, pouting. "You are the absolute love of my life."

The omega bit back a smile and let his head rest on Harry's shoulder. "Mmhmm."

Harry pulled away just enough to make eye contact with the Louis. "You know I mean it though, right?" His eyes raked over Louis' features, his heart somehow managing to beat just as strongly as it did the first time he was able to kiss and hug the omega. The playful moment seemed to solidify into something more serious as he worked up the courage to say the next words. "This isn't something fleeting or impulsive for me. I want to make you scones and feel the warmth of your hand in mine and roll over in bed to wrap my arms around you and bend down to give you kisses... You're it for me."

Louis felt his breath catch in his throat. He pressed his cheek farther into the pillow and raised a hand to trace it over Harry's face. His let his finger brush over the sharp jawline and smooth nose, the soft lips and warm skin. "I know, darling. You're it for me too."

Harry pressed his lips to the omega's, always in awe of how they fit together perfectly. It wasn't the achingly slow and romantic kiss that one read about in books, where a series of sweet pecks evolved into something a little more burning. No, this was an urgent kiss, full of teeth and tongue and _love_. It was the need to be as close as possible to the other, hopelessly scraping your tongue over the roof of their mouth in an attempt to learn every last inch of their body. It was desperation and hope and restlessness and patience and everything either one ever needed.

For just a moment, Harry pulled away. They were both panting, too caught up in each other to stop for air.

"Lou," he breathed out, "in sixty years, when we're all gray and senile, where do you see yourself? Where do you think you'll be?" He'd been meaning to ask that question for a long time, hoping and wishing that Louis' answer would match up with his. For him, it wasn't even a question. And he didn't think it would be for Louis either, but he just needed to hear the words.

Louis didn't even hesitate. "All I know is I'll be loving you."

*** End ***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really cannot believe this was the last one. Thank you so much for those of you that have made it through these ~20K words (I love how I was originally aiming for 6K and that just did not happen)
> 
> I've been working on planning a second fic (part of why this one's taken so long, sorry) but I just didn't have the heart to leave this one unfinished. I know this chapter's not too long, but I think I'm happy with how it ended up... I really hope you all are too ❤️
> 
> Once more, thank you so much for all the comments/kudos, you have no idea how happy seeing them has made me :)


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